I have food intolerances and my body has trouble processing foods; it’s because of these reasons, I have been vegetarian since about 2010 and vegan since around 2012. And let me tell you, this diet is quite different than my diet as a child and young adult growing up in the interior of Alaska. My philosophies about food choices have, obviously, grown and evolved through the years.

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What I Learned About Food

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There are so many food lifestyle options, and I truly believe environment and demographics contribute to our food choices. Some eat for their blood type and others choose foods based on their religious and philosophical beliefs. However, I stand by two facts that I believe are important for every human body. The first is to get tested. A blood test alone will not give you all of the answers, so I am referring to testing for any unknown issues your body may have around food. The second fact that I am passionate about is the elimination of processed foods and sugars from our society. This “food group” is SO BAD for our bodies.

What It’s Like

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So, there’s a whole lot of what I can’t eat, or choose not to eat. But what do I love? What do I enjoy the most? I love to cook! My children are very involved in the kitchen with me too. I consider our kitchen time to be an everyday “classroom”, giving my boys an advantage and healthy perspective on homemade cooking that can only benefit them later. We make as much of our food, dressings, sauces, juices, dips and much more from scratch. I simply prefer to know all of the ingredients in our food, plus I have some pretty amazing recipes that I haven’t found store-bought-foods to trump! We consume a lot of organic vegetables, fruit, nuts, legumes and seeds, and some favorites to prepare are soups, salads, Budda Bowls, one-dish meals and fresh smoothies and juices made with our professional-grade juicer. Creating large trays of fresh 'finger foods' for entertaining is also a staple in my home, as is trying a variety of new recipes in a couple of my favorite go-to cookbooks. Thai Food is one of my family's favorite cuisine choices when eating out, and someday I'd love to learn how to make authentic Thai food!

It’s only been in the last eight-ish years that I’ve looked beyond the foods that I put in my body to achieve overall health and wellness. A preventative approach to health has empowered me not only to better understand my body but put value in the daily care. Consciously removing synthetics and toxic chemicals from my home started when I was introduced to Young Living Essential Oils, and I am proud to say I have successfully removed every single off-the-shelf household cleaner among other common un-safe items from our home.

My primary objective in starting to include Essential Oils into our daily routine was to keep our immune systems strong. Being a solo parent, I can't afford for my family to be under the weather often. Since using essential oils to support our health, I notice a significant difference in both the infrequency of our sickness and the length our immune systems are compromised.

What I didn't realize in the beginning of my essential oil journey is that our entire home and lifestyle would change because of the great variety of Essential Oils and plant-based products offered by Young Living. The Ningxia Red (a wolfberry antioxidant drink), the supplements line, entire Thieves product line and kids essential-oil-infused-products are all key players in the health and wellness of our family each day. In addition to becoming empowered to remove the toxic chemicals from our home, I am now equipped to make many of our own essential-oil-infused-products and use the oils as remedies for so many everyday situations!

For as long as I can remember, I have not only wanted to be a mama, but I have always known that my role as a mother would be the most important and most valued role of my life. Even before motherhood, I knew it was ‘my purpose' in this life. Having my own biological children was non-negotiable and as I transitioned from my early 30's into my mid 30's, I hadn't met the man who would be my husband, so today I am blessed as a 'single-mother-by-choice'. I have two beautiful boys who share the same DNA, and while they have many things that are similar, their personalities are already so different from each other. I love being a boy-mom, and I'm not sure they will ever understand how intensely I am in love with them!

Some of my goals as a mother are to teach my children to be present and aware, to be self-confident and understand that they get to choose in their life; to listen to their bodies when something feels off, to share their thoughts and ideas, that their voice and opinions are valued. I believe in conversation and interaction with my children that doesn’t limit their beliefs, conversation that creates possibilities rather than limitations, opens up creative thinking rather than false story and reservation. I believe in virtues-based learning, where in any situation or lesson, they can learn not by being made wrong, but by the virtue through which they can build character. I involve my children in all the daily activities, but, also, in “normal” talk or conversation, and this has transpired into having a huge vocabulary at an early age for my oldest. I’ve never believed simplifying or limiting our words for our littles does anyone any good. They are sponges for information and growth, and I believe in allowing them to soak it all in!

I’m not a perfect mother, and I don’t strive to be perfect. But I do always try to be the best mother I can be and to go back to my parenting ideals and standards when I feel off-track. I'm raising little humans. I'm raising two boys to grow into balanced, healthy and happy men who get to be anything they want to be and do anything they want to do to love their life and make a positive impact in this world. It is such a joy and blessing to have a front row seat on my children's journeys.

I hope you'll follow my journey, as I'm sure it will be ever changing.

"I’ve been friends with Ellie since the Fall of 2015 and just adore this woman! She’s one of the most integrous, loving, present, kind and generous women I have ever had the joy to call my friend. Ellie is a powerhouse momma and entrepreneur who listens to the needs of her children and those around her rather than just hearing surface level words. She’s loyal and the kind of woman and friend who drops everything for her friends in those moments of life when you don’t know where to turn. Ellie is an advocate for living a life you truly love with community and friends. She brings community wherever she goes and is just the best friend and mentor you could ever wish for."